Machine for stemming and cleaning peanuts or green peas.



No. 688,519. Patented nec. lo, mol.

l B. HICKS.

MACHINE FOR STEMMING AND'GLEANING PEANUTS 0R GREEN PEAS.

* (Application med Novjl, 1900.)

(N0 Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.A

Nn. 688,519. Patented Dee. lo, laos.

B. HICKS.. MACHINE FOR STEMMING AND CLEANING PEANUTS 0R GREEN PEA'S.

'Application me@ Nov. 1 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets- Shula l: 'I IMasili UNITED VSfrAiu-is PATENT OFFC.

BENJAMIN HICKS, OF YICKSVILLE, VIRGINIA;

MAcHlN-FQR YSTEMMING AND CLEANINGVPEANUTS R GREEN PEAS.

sPEeIFmATroN foi-ming part of Letters Patent 688,519, dated December 1o,1901.

' Application filed November 1, 1990. Serial No. 35,174. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I', BENJAMIN HICKS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Vicksville, in the county ofA Southampton and State ofVirginia, have invented a new and useful Machine for Stemming andCleaning Peanuts or Green Peas,of whichthe following is a specication.

My invention is an improved machine for stemming and cleaning peanutsand 'green them in the best condition for the market.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cleaningand stemming machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view of the same, taken on a plane indicated by theline a ct of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional View of thestemming-trough, taken on a plane indicated by the line 'b b of Fig. 3and showing a section of the shaft and a number of the stemmingsawsmounted thereon. Fig. 5 is a detail top plan view of a portion of thestemmingtrough, showing certain of the stemming-saws therein.

In the embodiment of my invention I provide an'inclosing casingl, whichis of any suitable size and shape and is Ipreferably of the shape hereshown. At one end of the casing 1 on the upper side thereof is afeed-,table 2, at the innerv side of which are a series of teeth 3,which are spaced a suitable'distance apart. The upper side of the casing1, extending from the feed-table, is open, and inv the same are disposeda series of longitudinal slats 4, which are lspaced a` suitable regulardistance apart. Above the said slats'4'is disposed an endlesstravelingfeed-rake 5, which comprises a pair of rollers A6 7 and an endless apron8, which connects the said rollers and is provided with rake-teeth 9,that project from its outer side. The said feed-rake, slats 4, and teeth3 of the feed-table coact. The rollers 6 7 have their shafts journaledin bearings in the sides of the casing 1. The

25. .ately spaced apart and their teeth are exceedshaft ofthe roller 6is provided at one end with a pair of pulleys 10 11 and is provided attheV opposite end with a pulley 12. A fancasin g 13 is formed below thefeed-table 2, and in the said fan-casing'is a revoluble fan or blower14, the shaft of which is provided With a pulley1 15, which is connectedto the pulley 'l0 by an endless belt 1G. Opposite dischargeopenings`17of the fan-casing is an endless conveyer-apron 18, Which is disposedtransy verselyin the casing 1, in thelower side thereof, and issupported by a pair of rollers 19 20, the shafts of which are journaledin bearings on opposite sides of the casing 1. The shaft of roller 19has a'pulley 21, which is connected to the pulley 12 by an endless belt22. The

said endless conveyer-aprou 18 operates in the direction indicated bythe arrow in Fig. 3, and the same is located under the endless travelingfeed-rake, as shown.

In the casing 1, at the end opposite the fan or blower 14, is an'inclined flue 23, the intake 18, as will be understood. Saidconveyerapron discharges onto a trough 24 of suitable length and width,which is disposed longitudinally on one side ofthe casing 1. In the saidtrough is a slatted false bottom 25, at the outer side of which is adischarge-board 26, which forms a descending inclined plane. A shaft 27is disposed longitudinally in the said trough below the slats 25 kandhas itsv bearings in the ends of said trough.4 On one end ofthe saidshaft is a pulley 28, which is connected t-o the pulley 11 by an endlessbelt 29. The lower side of the trough below the slats 25 is open. Aseries of stemming-saws *30 are secured on the shaft 27 and rotatedthereby, and the upper sides of said stemmingysaws operate in the spacesbetweenthe slats The said stemming-saws are appropriingly fine, the saidsaws bei ug similar to the saws used in cotton-gins.

The operation of my improved cleaning and stemming machine is asfollows: Peanuts as dug .and when sufficiently dried or green peas IOOin the pod as when gathered are fed to the machine from the feed-table2. The feed-rake, slats 4 thereunder, and the teeth 3 at the inner endof the feed-table coact on the peas or peanut-vines to dislodge leavesfrom the peapods and to break the rootlets from the peanuts, and as thepeas or peanuts fall from between the slats 4 onto the conveyer-apron 18they are winnowed by the blast of air from the fan or blower, which isdelivered transversely of the conveyer 18, the said blast carrying awaythe loose leaves and other trash from the peas and the rootlets from thepeanuts through the Ilue 23. The pea-pods and peanuts being heavier arenot carried olf by the winnowing-blast, but remain on the con-Veyer-apron and are dropped therefrom onto the stemming-trough 24, inwhich they are acted upon by the rapidly-revolving stemming-saws 3.0.The latter act upon the peas and peanuts in such manner as to disposethe pods and the peanuts longitudinally on the slatted bottom of thetrough and transversely with relation to the slats 25, so that thestemsat the ends of the peanuts and pea-pods are presented to the actionof the saws, which cut them away and serve to draw the stems downwardthrough the spaces between the slats 25 and to work the stemmed pea-podsand peanuts transversely on the slatted bottom of the trough to theinclined discharge-board 26, down which they roll and are discharged,from the machine. Owing to the ineness of the saw-teeth and thelightness in weight of the peanuts and pea-pods the peanuts and peapodsare not cut through or in any wise injured by the saws, and the latterare effective only for the purpose of stemming pea-pods and peanuts andin feeding the same from the stemming-trough, as hereinbefore described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a machine of theclass described, a stemming-trough, a bottom therein, comprising aseries of horizont-al transversely-disposed slats, said trough having awall on one side of said slatted bottom, and the opposite' side of saidslatted bottom being unobstructed, a longitudinal shaft journaled insaid trough, disposed under said slatted bot-l tom and a series ofstemming-saws on and revolved bysaid shaft, said stemming-saws operatingin the spaces between said slats, and the upper sides thereof movingtoward the unobstructed side of said slatted bottom, whereby therotation of said saws is eiective in stemming the peanuts and green peasand in discharging the stemmed peanuts or peas from said slatted bottom,substantially as described.

2. In a machine for cleaning and stemming peanuts, and green peas, thecombination of a casing having a feed-table, and a series of slatsextending from the inner end or side of said feed-table, the latterhaving teeth vat its inner side above said slats, an endless travelingfeed-rake above and coacting with said slats and toothed feed-table, acarrier disposed transversely of the casingvbelow the said slats andonto which the peas and peai nuts are fed, means to create and dischargea blast of air transversely of the carrier, for the purpose set forth, astem mingtrou gh onto which said carrier discharges, said stemmingtroughhaving a series of transversely-disposed slats and a series of revolublestemming-saws, the latter operating in the spaces between said slats,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN HICKS.

Witnesses:

C. J. EDWARDS, C. C. VAUGHAN.

